To Everything There is a Season

When confronted with evil, it's the time to fight - and to counteract with kindness.

I can't tell you how often I hear the adage "Two wrongs don't make a right” improperly thrown around. It's usually a wise saying to fighting schoolchildren, but just because two actions are similar doesn't mean their moral justifications (or lack thereof) must also be.

For example, taking a life is not morally the same across the board. Is the murder of an innocent child caught in gang cross-fire the same as killing a terrorist? Is the assassination of the president of the United States equal to the killing of Hitler?

No one is in favor of violent death; no one likes the killing of other human beings. But the choice to not fight evil may be the most immoral position of all.

A jury in California just recommended that Scott Peterson receive the death penalty for the remorseless killing of his wife and unborn child. Peterson's mother, lying ill in bed, begs “don't do this to me.” We can empathize with the mother, yet society may still have to put her son to death.

Without arguing the validity of capital punishment - there are many attendant issues that go far beyond the scope of this short article* - we can recognize that compassion for victims and their families takes precedence over compassion for the evil-doer. That too much compassion for the wicked distorts our perspective and confuses our values.

Jews are not pacifists. Despite negative stereotypes, we believe in fighting our oppressors. We believe in fighting for our faith, our people, our land. The Torah and the book of Joshua are rife with battles. We are neither cowards and doves, nor hawks and warmongers. But in certain times and certain situations, there is a need to fight. Your family, your people, your values may be at stake.

An oft-quoted variation on two wrongs don't make a right is “violence doesn't solve anything.” But at times that is the only way that tyrannical dictators are stopped (think Hitler), aggressive nations are repelled, slavery is abolished. Even winning the battle against crime frequently requires tough measures. Of course we must not be overeager or trigger-happy, and objective, sagacious deliberations are in order, but there is, unfortunately, a time and place.

Unfortunately - because it's a painful tragedy to see what other human beings can become. Unfortunately - because we would prefer that our enemies repent obviating the need for drastic action. Unfortunately - because of the toll it takes on us.

Golda Meir is alleged to have said, “I can forgive the Arabs for murdering our children, but not for turning our children into murderers.”

Counteracting with Kindness

What is the price we pay in this bloody battle? Is there any antidote?
I take comfort from two sources - the Torah and (l'havdil) my son's Animorphs books.

The Animorphs series (I confess to having read about three pages) invokes the classic fight of good versus evil. Evil aliens are trying to take over the earth and four children, with the particular ability to morph into animals, must try to save it. They accept the responsibility (a lesson in and of itself) but not without pain. They accept the violence, but not without remorse. The violence gives no pleasure but they recognize the necessity.

How do they respond to the potential hardening of the soul?

If you are in danger of developing a callous on your soul, open yourself up to giving.

One of the characters, Rachel, cares for wounded animals. In healing them, she believes she heals herself.

Destroy evil, then go out and help someone in need. If you are in danger of developing a callous on your soul, open yourself up to giving - to children, to the poor, to the uneducated, to the innocent. Surely this can counter the requisite killing of the inhumane.

But far more powerful than Animorphs is the Almighty's promise to His people. In the book of Deuteronomy, He exhorts the children of Israel to completely destroy idolatrous cities. No one and nothing should remain. And then the verse says “…and He will give you mercy and be merciful to you…” (Deut. 13:18).

The commentator, the Ohr HaChaim, explains the seeming redundancy. The punishment of the idolatrous city could easily make the Jewish people indifferent to suffering. One could expect it to erode their natural feelings of mercy and make them heartless and cruel. In response to this fear, God promises to infuse them with new feelings of sensitivity and compassion. Once the people have become more merciful than ever, they will deserve to be treated mercifully by God.

This is not a license to kill. It is a recognition that there are times where taking a life is the appropriate, moral and compassionate thing to do. And we shouldn't balk at doing our duty.

The Talmud teaches that if you are compassionate to the cruel, you will end up being cruel to the kind. Life may not be black and white but it must be well thought-out shades of gray.

As King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes (and as immortalized in folk song), “To everything there is a season… a time for war and a time for peace” (3:1,8).

We pray, now as always, that today's battle will be the final one, and that lasting peace will ensue.

*This article should in no way be construed as taking a position on the death penalty vis-à-vis Western courts. The Torah position on this issue is very complex, and this article is only addressing the topic of fighting evil.

About the Author

Emuna Braverman has a law degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Marriage and Family Therapy from Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband and nine children in Los Angeles where they both work for Aish HaTorah. When she isn''t writing for the Internet or taking care of her family, Emuna teaches classes on Judaism, organizes gourmet kosher cooking groups and hosts many Shabbos guests. She is the cofounder of www.gourmetkoshercooking.com.

Visitor Comments: 6

(6)
raye,
December 23, 2004 12:00 AM

The eternal dilemma

When I look at the poster with pictures of the Victims of Terror, on my livingroom wall, I can feel my heart hardening, as if to say "Vengeance is mine." I'm an elderly woman - where do I get these ideas? However, when an obviously sane person tells me "but so-and-so killed three arabs, I can literally climb up the wall. Can noone count beyond 3, or 5, or 10? The Holocaust is still with us.

(5)
Anonymous,
December 22, 2004 12:00 AM

Misguided Gold Meir

Do you actually agree with Gold Meir's ridiculous statement? Jews who defend themselves are not murderers and we should not forgive people who murder Jews.

(4)
Anonymous,
December 21, 2004 12:00 AM

Thank you, I'm not fighting alone

I live in the Bible belt where people know they are kinder, more G-dly even holy.
And I know these are the most sophistited hate mongers who in many ways destory lives as much as the terrorist.
I fight for the minority students who I was told by one of their teacher are lower than the coloreds who are the lowest of the lowest. It is very tough keeping up the fight.

(3)
C Schwartz,
December 21, 2004 12:00 AM

D Betz Peterson comment

What about all those "guilty parties" who for lack of "we must have concrete undeniable evidence" and clever lawyers, have been released into society and gone on to kill many more innocent victums before finally being put away.
There are always two sides to every story and in this case I side with Mrs Bravermans Biblical quote, "to everything there is a season" and thatjustice IS being served.

(2)
Barak,
December 21, 2004 12:00 AM

A well written article, informative and to the point

I agree with ur reasoning - I think too often a purely 'christian perspective'is taken on these issues as far as the international media and their reporting is concerned.

One error though: Golda Meir (one of our graetest leaders and a true hero) said: "We loath the sword, and are reluctant to wield it, but you leave us with no choice. We will never forgive you for making us kill your people'.

(1)
Deborah Betz,
December 19, 2004 12:00 AM

Peterson case is incorrect example

I agree with the underlying premise of this article, but the example of the Peterson case is a questionable example, with the emphasis in the wrong place. I believe that Peterson was guilty, and obviously his jury believed he was guilty. The jury's belief was strong enough to sentence him to death. But there was not enough evidence to convict Peterson of the murder and especially to punish him with death. Belief is arbitrary and emotionally based in these type of circumstances. It is not enough and it is dangerous to act your belief on what is true in any situation. You must have concrete evidence, even at the cost of letting a guilty party go free.
We have seen examples in our history time and time again, where belief that something is "true" has caused us great harm. So the example for the Peterson case should be that before we take action on stopping and punishing a perceived evil we must be beyond sure, we must have concrete undeniable evidence that must be debated again and again in the public square, which we have been doing. This is good, but the Peterson case worries me, convicting him has done more damage to the justice system then if they would have just let this animal go free and let Hashem deal with it.

I just got married and have an important question: Can we eat rice on Passover? My wife grew up eating it, and I did not. Is this just a matter of family tradition?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

The Torah instructs a Jew not to eat (or even possess) chametz all seven days of Passover (Exodus 13:3). "Chametz" is defined as any of the five grains (wheat, spelt, barley, oats, and rye) that came into contact with water for more than 18 minutes. Chametz is a serious Torah prohibition, and for that reason we take extra protective measures on Passover to prevent any mistakes.

Hence the category of food called "kitniyot" (sometimes referred to generically as "legumes"). This includes rice, corn, soy beans, string beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, mustard, sesame seeds and poppy seeds. Even though kitniyot cannot technically become chametz, Ashkenazi Jews do not eat them on Passover. Why?

Products of kitniyot often appear like chametz products. For example, it can be hard to distinguish between rice flour (kitniyot) and wheat flour (chametz). Also, chametz grains may become inadvertently mixed together with kitniyot. Therefore, to prevent confusion, all kitniyot were prohibited.

In Jewish law, there is one important distinction between chametz and kitniyot. During Passover, it is forbidden to even have chametz in one's possession (hence the custom of "selling chametz"). Whereas it is permitted to own kitniyot during Passover and even to use it - not for eating - but for things like baby powder which contains cornstarch. Similarly, someone who is sick is allowed to take medicine containing kitniyot.

What about derivatives of kitniyot - e.g. corn oil, peanut oil, etc? This is a difference of opinion. Many will use kitniyot-based oils on Passover, while others are strict and only use olive or walnut oil.

Finally, there is one product called "quinoa" (pronounced "ken-wah" or "kin-o-ah") that is permitted on Passover even for Ashkenazim. Although it resembles a grain, it is technically a grass, and was never included in the prohibition against kitniyot. It is prepared like rice and has a very high protein content. (It's excellent in "cholent" stew!) In the United States and elsewhere, mainstream kosher supervision agencies certify it "Kosher for Passover" -- look for the label.

Interestingly, the Sefardi Jewish community does not have a prohibition against kitniyot. This creates the strange situation, for example, where one family could be eating rice on Passover - when their neighbors will not. So am I going to guess here that you are Ashkenazi and your wife is Sefardi. Am I right?

Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman (1194-1270), known as Nachmanides, and by the acronym of his name, Ramban. Born in Spain, he was a physician by trade, but was best-known for authoring brilliant commentaries on the Bible, Talmud, and philosophy. In 1263, King James of Spain authorized a disputation (religious debate) between Nachmanides and a Jewish convert to Christianity, Pablo Christiani. Nachmanides reluctantly agreed to take part, only after being assured by the king that he would have full freedom of expression. Nachmanides won the debate, which earned the king's respect and a prize of 300 gold coins. But this incensed the Church: Nachmanides was charged with blasphemy and he was forced to flee Spain. So at age 72, Nachmanides moved to Jerusalem. He was struck by the desolation in the Holy City -- there were so few Jews that he could not even find a minyan to pray. Nachmanides immediately set about rebuilding the Jewish community. The Ramban Synagogue stands today in Jerusalem's Old City, a living testimony to his efforts.

It's easy to be intimidated by mean people. See through their mask. Underneath is an insecure and unhappy person. They are alienated from others because they are alienated from themselves.

Have compassion for them. Not pity, not condemning, not fear, but compassion. Feel for their suffering. Identify with their core humanity. You might be able to influence them for the good. You might not. Either way your compassion frees you from their destructiveness. And if you would like to help them change, compassion gives you a chance to succeed.

It is the nature of a person to be influenced by his fellows and comrades (Rambam, Hil. De'os 6:1).

We can never escape the influence of our environment. Our life-style impacts upon us and, as if by osmosis, penetrates our skin and becomes part of us.

Our environment today is thoroughly computerized. Computer intelligence is no longer a science-fiction fantasy, but an everyday occurrence. Some computers can even carry out complete interviews. The computer asks questions, receives answers, interprets these answers, and uses its newly acquired information to ask new questions.

Still, while computers may be able to think, they cannot feel. The uniqueness of human beings is therefore no longer in their intellect, but in their emotions.

We must be extremely careful not to allow ourselves to become human computers that are devoid of feelings. Our culture is in danger of losing this essential aspect of humanity, remaining only with intellect. Because we communicate so much with unfeeling computers, we are in danger of becoming disconnected from our own feelings and oblivious to the feelings of others.

As we check in at our jobs, and the computer on our desk greets us with, "Good morning, Mr. Smith. Today is Wednesday, and here is the agenda for today," let us remember that this machine may indeed be brilliant, but it cannot laugh or cry. It cannot be happy if we succeed, or sad if we fail.

Today I shall...

try to remain a human being in every way - by keeping in touch with my own feelings and being sensitive to the feelings of others.

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